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Village Of The Damned/Children Of The Damned
01/05/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
DVD- US release. Warner Bros 66918. Price: $12.99 (US). Village: 77mins. Children: 89mins. both black and white films with audio commentaries). Village Of The Damned stars: George Sanders and Barbara Shelley. Children Of The Damned stars: Ian Hendry, Alan Badel, Barbara Ferris and Alfred Burke. Buy Village Of The Damned in the USA - or Buy Village Of The Damned in the UK  check out: www.warnervideo.com
Hearing that the UK edition had no extras, I decided to buy the US edition and thanked the Illuminatii my DVD player is multi-regional. Make that part of your decision if you're buying one or making an upgrade, especially as its so easy to adjust.
These are children but not kiddie films from 1960 and 1964 respectively based on John Wyndham's book 'The Midwich Cuckoos'. Oddly, both films are classed as horror when really they are a pair of the smartest SF films from that period. 'Village Of The Damned' is a pretty close adaptation of the book while 'Children Of The Damned' is more an extension being used to demonstrate the effects of the Cold War with neither side knowing quite what to do with super-powered children. In the audio commentary to 'Children', scriptwriter John Briley says that Wyndham approved of his take because it wasn't a re-hash of the first film. Considering that it is also used at film schools to show students how to construct a movie should speak for itself.
'Village Of The Damned' follows the events that occurred when the village of Midwich falls into a deep slumber for several hours. Nine months later, all women capable of becoming pregnant are irrespective of whether they are married or not. Back in the 60s, where children out of wedlock not to mention married women having children that could not possibly be their husbands, was more shocking than it would be seen today. It is hinted that there was some alien influence but never seen. The grim reality then is still hammered home by the effects on home-life. In all, nine children are born. A third of that in the book but sensible economics. Each are platinum blondes with a perchance for glowing eyes when agitated and capable of telepathy and mind-control and growing up very quickly. You'd have thought people would have learnt to be careful around them in a few years they grew up but these are used to provide examples of their differences. Anyway, local teacher and children observer Gordon Zellaby (actor Sanders) observes the situation but is helpless to intervene. Local children and villagers who dare to attack or upset these children face dire consequences. Ultimately, Zellaby decides there is only one way to stop them. The scene at the end with the children's realisation is one of film's classic moments.
This film is truly gripping and has lost nothing over the years. Watching from the children's perspective, I have to say I'm more on their side than the panicky adults. They only go on the offensive when attacked but think of it as the bully getting his comeuppance when faced with someone who can hit back harder. Even when I saw the film years ago, I took it for granted the children's inner sense of calm came from their ascending adulthood than being emotionally vacant. As to glowing eyes. Well, I thought every kid's eyes could glow like mine. The audio commentary here is by none of the original screenplay writers but author Steve Haberman which fills in a lot of the background detail about the film.
The success of the film spawned this, 'Children Of The Damned', as its sequel but done in a slightly different way. Rather than have bunches of children born in villages whose birth is attributed to alien intervention, the six here were individually spawned in different nations and seen as an evolutionary advance on current mankind and discovered in a physical IQ test. This is explained in the context of the story regarding how mutant sports of similar types can just suddenly appear. It doesn't help very much that the less advanced version do not like the idea of being supplanted again. The children make their own point towards war-mongers before making the decision that their time isn't yet. It is rather odd that then and even now, there seemed little thought given to the fact that the military were prepared to open fire on children. Granted they are rather powerful, it definitely shows man in a poor light by destroying something it cannot come to terms with.
Choosing a favourite between these two films is difficult. In many respects I prefer the second film mostly because of its intensity but both are excellent and if you were too young to see them then, this is a good opportunity to see British production at its best. It's intelligent and will make you think. 'The Midwich Cuckoos' and these films have been major influences on human intolerance to mutants throughout media. It's a shame the movie makers have never thought to make a film version of John Wyndham's 'The Crysalids' which is another take on this kind of situation.
I have only vague recollections of the 1995 version but you can't beat these films and should be on your list to watch this year.
GF Willmetts
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